Operationalizing risk perception and preparedness behavior research for a multi-hazard context

Increasingly, citizens are being asked to take a more active role in disaster risk reduction (DRR), as decentralization of hazard governance has shifted greater responsibility for hazard preparedness actions onto individuals. Simultaneously, the taxonomy of hazards considered for DRR has expanded to include medical and social crises alongside natural hazards. Risk perception research emerged to support decision-makers with understanding how people characterize and evaluate different hazards to anticipate behavioral response and guide risk communication. Since its inception, the risk perception concept has been incorporated into many behavioral theories, which have been applied to examine preparedness for numerous hazard types. Behavioral theories have had moderate success in predicting or explaining preparedness behaviors; however, they are typically applied to a single hazard type and there is a gap in understanding which theories (if any) are suited for examining multiple hazard types simultaneously. This paper first reviews meta-analyses of behavioral theories to better understand performance. Universal lessons learnt are summarized for survey design. Second, theoretically based preparedness studies for floods, earthquakes, epidemics, and terrorism are reviewed to assess the conceptual requirements for a ‘multi-hazard’ preparedness approach. The development of an online preparedness self-assessment and learning platform is discussed

When Torts Met Civil Procedure: A Curricular Coupling

Law students must become adept at understanding how various bodies of law interact-supporting, balancing, and even conflicting with each other. This article describes an attempt to achieve these goals by merging two canonical first-year courses, civil procedure and torts, into an integrated class titled ‘Introduction to Civil Litigation’. Our most pressing motivation was concern that students who study civil procedure and torts in isolation develop a skewed, unrealistic view of how law works in the real world. By combining these courses, we hoped to teach students early in their careers to approach problems more like practicing lawyers, who must deal with multiple bodies of law simultaneously. And while the course did yield a higher level of practice readiness, the experience also brought unexpected rewards to both students and faculty. As we developed and refined the course, we discovered that we were not just merging two courses. We were bringing together two different perspectives on how the law functions. We came to believe that more can be gained by viewing torts and civil procedure together than by studying them apart. Torts and Civil Procedure tell different sides of the same story

High-Throughput Synthesis of Metal-Organic Frameworks Through Mixed Ligand Co-assembly and Topological Design

The focus of this research is to investigate the synthesis of novel mixed linker metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) composed of pyrozolate and imidazolate based linkers through a mixed-ligand co-assembly process. In MOF synthesis, judicious selection of metal containing nodes combined with symmetric ligands can provide a modicum of predictability to the ultimate structure of the framework. Traditionally, carboxylate ligands have been heavily utilized for the construction of porous materials; however, nitrogen based ligands have not been as frequently used. Of the MOF family, zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) have been the most widely studied material composed of nitrogen-based ligands; however, these frameworks have primarily been constructed from only tetrahedral building units with zinc and cobalt metal nodes, which severely limits the diversity of such frameworks. After an introduction of MOF materials and high throughput synthesis, we investigate the synthesis of new MOFs through mixed-linker co-assembly. An uncommon Pyrazole3Cu3OL3 building unit is observed in two new MOFs, PCN-351 and PCN-352. The first MOF, PCN-351 exhibits three distinct channels and small pores. PCN-352 is composed of molecular polyhedral cages and exhibits enhanced porosity and surface area. Additionally, high-throughput synthesis will allow for the systematic study of MOF formation under varying reaction conditions. Structural predictability is often limited, due to the many kinetic and thermodynamic factors that contribute to MOF formation including metal selection, ligand selection (connectivity, bonding angles, solubility, etc.), solvent selection, modulating agents, and pH values. This project will use a Chemspeed SLT-Swing robotic synthetic platform to exploit combinatorial chemistry methods in MOF synthesis. Utilizing the robotic platform, solvothermal reactions can be screened to optimize MOF formation through selection of solvent, determination of optimal reactant concentrations (metal to ligand ratios, modulation reagents, etc.), and determination of appropriate reaction temperature. This project builds upon the previously discover mixed-linker MOFs using ligand co-assembly. Ligand extension has often been used to study reticular chemistry for the formation of MOFs with enhanced porosity. Herein, we will explore the effect of linker length in the formation and symmetry of MOFs. A series of MOFs have been synthesized using the mixed linker co-assembly procedure and exhibit tuneable surface area and porosity. Finally, we explore the use of porphyrin linkers in the synthesis of mesoporous MOFs (PCN-228, PCN-229 and PCN-230). Porphyrin linkers are highly conjugated systems that have been shown to eliminate interpenetration of MOFs. In this work a series of elongated porphyrin linkers with Zr6 metal nodes have been studied and show enhanced porosity and stability. We build upon the synthesis of porphyrin MOFs, using high-throughput synthesis and the mixed ligand co-assembly method, to construct a copper based porphyrin MOF isostructural to the reported zirconium MOFs. In summary, several new mixed linker MOFs have been developed though a ligand co-assembly process and provide an interesting new direction for the development of materials with enhanced porosity through topological design. Additionally, high-throughput methods are a powerful tool for the synthesis of novel MOFs

A feminist vision for transformative change to disaster risk reduction policies and practices

Gender has received increased attention in disaster risk reduction (DRR) policies and practices over the past three decades. However, a critical analysis raises a number of questions: has the attention to gender brought transformative change to the lives of people, especially women and sexual minorities in all their diversity? To what extent has the inclusion of a gender perspective in DRR challenged the root causes of vulnerability and marginalization? Do the current gender sensitive DRR policies and practices have transformative potential? In this paper, we explore some of these questions with particular reference to the recent Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Act 2017 and current DRR practices in Nepal in which gender has been included. We present findings from three research projects, undertaken between 2016 and 2019 in six locations in Nepal. These comprised 105 individual interviews, 11 group interviews and 3 focus group discussions (FGDs) with internally displaced women; pregnant and newly delivered women; health and community workers; policy makers, political leaders and organisations working on DRR. We argue that, despite increased attention to gender, current DRR policies and practices do little to challenge existing, unequal social and institutional structures; instead, they accommodate the gender status quo. We suggest that in order for transformative social change to occur, we require a transformative vision; one that allows us to see the biases and problems within the current DRR policies and practices and allows us to imagine our future differently. A feminist vision offers that possibility

Adrenal lesions found incidentally: how to improve clinical and cost-effectiveness

Introduction Adrenal incidentalomas are lesions that are incidentally identified while scanning for other conditions. While most are benign and hormonally non-functional, around 20% are malignant and/or hormonally active, requiring prompt intervention. Malignant lesions can be aggressive and life-threatening, while hormonally active tumours cause various endocrine disorders, with significant morbidity and mortality. Despite this, management of patients with adrenal incidentalomas is variable, with no robust evidence base. This project aimed to establish more effective and timely management of these patients. Methods We developed a web-based, electronic Adrenal Incidentaloma Management System (eAIMS), which incorporated the evidence-based and National Health Service–aligned 2016 European guidelines. The system captures key clinical, biochemical and radiological information necessary for adrenal incidentaloma patient management and generates a pre-populated outcome letter, saving clinical and administrative time while ensuring timely management plans with enhanced safety. Furthermore, we developed a prioritisation strategy, with members of the multidisciplinary team, which prioritised high-risk individuals for detailed discussion and management. Patient focus groups informed process-mapping and multidisciplinary team process re-design and patient information leaflet development. The project was partnered by University Hospital of South Manchester to maximise generalisability. Results Implementation of eAIMS, along with improvements in the prioritisation strategy, resulted in a 49% reduction in staff hands-on time, as well as a 78% reduction in the time from adrenal incidentaloma identification to multidisciplinary team decision. A health economic analysis identified a 28% reduction in costs. Conclusions The system’s in-built data validation and the automatic generation of the multidisciplinary team outcome letter improved patient safety through a reduction in transcription errors. We are currently developing the next stage of the programme to proactively identify all new adrenal incidentaloma cases